Lance Armstrong has had an eventful year. He finally admitted to doping during all of his Tour de France victories and to lying about it the entire time. That had to be a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, however the cyclist is now reportedly facing $135 million in liability lawsuits as a result. So to get his mind off of all that and just to get back on his bike, Armstrong has decided to participate in a ride across Iowa.

Lots of questions if I wish I was in Paris. Know what? I’m pretty damn happy in Harlan, Iowa.

It’s an annual week-long event called Ragbrai, where participants start by ceremoniously dipping their bike tires into the Missouri River along the Iowa/Nebraska border and then finish up a week later by dipping into the Mississippi River on the east side of the state. Riders stop at designated host towns each night, where they camp out and then head on to the next town in the morning. There are two main groups on Ragbrai – those who are serious about it and those who party while pedaling from town to town.

Armstrong looks to be in a serious group (pictured above – he’s in the white shirt), and he also seems to be at peace with his presence in the public.

“I’m well aware my presence is not an easy topic, and so I encourage people if they want to give a high five, great. If you want to shoot me the bird, that’s okay, too.”

I thought that was a pretty good quote from the infamous cyclist as it seems he’s finally ready to move on with his life and from the lie he’d been living for so long. Some people will never forgive Armstrong for what he did, but I believe everyone deserves a chance to redeem themselves. At the same time, it’s only appropriate karma that Armstrong goes broke as the result of all the pending lawsuits. He tried to ruin the lives and reputations of those that accused him of cheating and that’s something he must pay for, literally.